Monday, May 29, 2006

A U.S. soldier and three others in a military convoy, including two members of a CBS News crew, were killed by a car bomb in central Baghdad today, the U.S. military said. Six U.S. soldiers and a CBS correspondent were injured.

Cameraman Paul Douglas, 48, and sound technician James Brolan, 42, were killed and correspondent Kimberly Dozier, 39, was injured when the bomb exploded. The crew was with the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, CBS said in a statement.

An Iraqi contractor also was killed in the attack. The military didn't release the names of the soldier or contractor or the names of the wounded.

The bombing was one of eight today that killed at least 33 people and wounded dozens more, the Associated Press reported.

The television crew was reporting from outside a Humvee when the explosives-packed car detonated. The network said they were wearing protective gear.

Dozier, who has been reporting on the war in Iraq for almost three years, underwent surgery at a U.S. military hospital in Baghdad and is in critical condition.

Doctors are optimistic about her prognosis, CBS said.

Douglas, had worked for CBS since the early 1990s in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Rwanda and Bosnia. Brolan, a freelancer, had worked in Baghdad and Afghanistan during the past year, the network said. Both men were based in London.

"This is a devastating loss for CBS News,'' Sean McManus, president of CBS News and Sports, said in a statement. "Kimberly, Paul and James were veterans of war coverage who proved their bravery and dedication every single day.''

The deaths today bring the total of journalists killed in Iraq to at least 71 since the March 2003 U.S.-led invasion, according to data compiled by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.

Here's more from CBS.com:Dozier sustained serious injuries and was flown to a U.S. military hospital inside Baghada's Green Zone, where she underwent surgery. She is in critical condition, but doctors are cautiously optimistic about her prognosis.

Douglas, who was British, leaves a wife, Linda; two daughters, Kelly, 29, and Joanne, 26; and three grandchildren. Brolan, who was also British, leaves a wife, Geraldine, and two children, Sam, 17, and Agatha, 12.

"This is a devastating loss for CBS News," said Sean McManus, President, CBS News and Sports, in a CBS statement. "Kimberly, Paul and James were veterans of war coverage who proved their bravery and dedication every single day. They always volunteered for dangerous assignments and were invaluable in our attempt to report the news to the American public."

"Our deepest sympathy goes out to the families of Paul and James, and we are hoping and praying for a complete recovery by Kimberly. Countless men and women put their lives on the line, day in and day out, in Iraq and other dangerous spots around the world, and they deserve our utmost respect and gratitude for the work they do," McManus said.

Douglas, 48, had worked for CBS News in many countries, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Rwanda and Bosnia, since the early 1990s. He leaves behind a wife, two daughters and three grandchildren. Brolan, 42, was a freelancer who had worked with CBS News in Baghdad and Afghanistan over the past year. He was part of the CBS News team that had received a 2006 Overseas Press Club Award for its reporting on the Pakistan earthquake.

Dozier, 39, has been a CBS News correspondent, reporting from Iraq, for the past three years, Before that, she served as London bureau chief and chief European correspondent for CBS Radio News from 1996-2002. Dozier is the recipient of three American Women in Radio and Television (AWRT) Gracie Awards for her radio reports on Mideast violence, Kosovo and the Afghan war.

Dozier and her London-based crew are among the latest American television journalists to become casualties in Iraq. Former ABC News "World News Tonight" co-anchor Bob Woodruff and cameraman Doug Vogt suffered severe injuries in a roadside bombing in Iraq Jan. 29, 2006. Woodruff is still recovering from serious head injuries and broken bones. Cameraman Vogt has returned home to France for more rehab.

On April 6, 2003, David Bloom, 39, an American journalist for NBC television, embedded with U.S. troops in Iraq died from an apparent blood clot near Baghdad.

From this insignifcant speck on the TV map, I'd like to add my prayers and condolences to the families of Paul Douglas and James Brolan, and I wish to send my best wishes for a speedy recovery to Kimberly Dozier.BCnU...Tele-Toby

Just An Old Cowhand On The TiVo Grande

As the Trickster once said, "Reality is boring, that's why I change it whenever I can."
I'm just "The Man Who Viewed Too Much", and "Inner Toob" is a blog exploring and celebrating the 'reality' of an alternate universe in which everything that ever happened on TV actually takes place.
Most of my theories about the TV Universe come from thinking inside the box and thus can't be proven. But I've never been one to shy away from a tall tale.....
Remember: "The more you watch, the more you've seen!"